


Next Time I Steal Your Heart

by orphan_account



Category: The Flash (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Minor Violence, Rogue!Iris, no proofread, we die like batman's sidekicks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:14:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27199688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: AU where Iris West is a member of the Flash's Rogues and she falls for the cute CSI who, she assumes, works for the Flash.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Iris West
Kudos: 10





	Next Time I Steal Your Heart

**Author's Note:**

> I am tipsy and English isn't my first lang  
> I have no idea why am I writing this fic, it's silly but here we go...

She leaned back against the lamp post as her green eyes focused on the front doors of the CCPD building under her plaid newsboy cap. Her wavy auburn hair was falling to her shoulders and giving a better cover to her very recognizable face these days. She pushed her hands deeper into the pockets of her juniper green coat. It wasn’t necessarily cold in Central yet but it was mid-season where you could see one person wearing t-shirts while other with a leather jacket. So, while going for the better cover of her long coat, she hoped she wouldn’t stand out too much.

If Leonard knew she was here, he would be pissed. After the incident that happened two days ago, Leonard welcomed her to the bar with a deep frown on his handsome face; he was annoyed but deep-down Iris knew he was also worried about her. She knew what some of those guys thought of her; daddy’s rich girl rebelling against her famous physicist father after she found out she was adopted. Only Hartley could understand her but he was no longer hanging out with the Rogues. Iris knew that Hartley was dating the Crime Lab director from the CCPD. She has never come face to face with the man before but she knew he was handsome yet too moody and sour to completely understand why Hartley was so  enamored with the guy.

Of course, Leonard and others would be right to be mad at her for coming here, especially if the guy she was waiting for would snitch her or if she gets captured by cops again. But Iris had a feeling... and above all, like most Rogues, she had her own morals and codes and she felt like she owed at least an apology... and a thank you to the man.

It was two days ago when she wanted to get back at her father (and Sam and Mark) after a long argument and decided to pull a heist in Central Bank despite Leonard’s warnings. It was going well enough to make Iris feel slightly smug and she even rehearsed her speech to Len for when she would get back with a bag full of money. Her mood turned sour when Flash showed up and tied her down very carefully, covering her hands with a piece of cloth that was tightly tied around her wrists.  She sneered at him when he handed her to the cops. Thomson, the one who was driving the car, was a new recruit and his partner, Franklin, who was sitting at the passenger seat was oh so glad to tell him about the Rogues; how Iris West was the daughter of Ira West, the famous physicist and was pursuing a photojournalism career in Sun City until she went mad after her mother died and she found out she was adopted. Iris wanted to bang her head against the bulletproof glass between her and the front seats and yell at the bastard who was talking about her like she wasn’t there.

Iris has never met any of those guys before, but from the moment Franklin wrapped his sweaty fingers around her bicep with an iron grip and dragged her toward the entrance of the station, she knew he was scum. He called her  _ doll _ and was ready to backhand her when she called him a  _ pig _ . The only thing that stopped him wasn’t the spineless rookie cop, Thomson, who was supposed to be his partner but a young man with messy blond hair who was running into the station like he was late.

He stood up to Franklin and told him she had rights and Iris could see how Franklin’s jaw tightened. It was clear he didn’t like this young man one bit.  _ What is it to you, Allen,  _ he teased,  _ are you going to call your fake daddy, Golden Boy? _

Allen’s muscles tightened as he clenched his fists. This intense moment between two men that drew all the attention to them was the opening Iris was waiting for since Flash wrapped his gloved hands around her arms and tied them down. She spun around in a speed that would impress the Flash himself and dropped forward, raising her leg in a motion that met the under of her boot with Franklin’s chin. The older man yelled as he fell back, his finger releasing  Iris’ arm. She spent only a second to gain her footing before grabbing the gun from Franklin’s belt and when Thomson got over his shock to draw his own gun, Iris’s arm was already wrapped around Allen, drawing his tall figure down to press the nuzzle of the gun against his neck.

A part of her felt bad for a second, this guy was trying to help her and he gave her the distraction she needed. However, it only lasted for a moment. 

“Don’t move.” She pressed her lips against his ear without taking her eyes off Thomson as the blond man was bending back to match her shorter figure in a painful stance. “I don’t want to mess your pretty face but you are my ticket out of here, darling.”

To give him credit, Allen didn’t show any surprise or fear. It was almost like he was in  control; he was letting this happen. She knew that he wasn’t a cop, he wasn’t carrying a gun and from the moment he opened his mouth it was clear that other cops didn’t actually like him at all. Whoever he was, he was an innocent bystander that Iris wasn’t willing to hurt. Just like other Rogues, she had her morals and code. She just wanted to use him to get out of here before Flash could arrive and drag her inside himself.

Allen told her not to do this like a goody two shoes that reminded her of the Flash. It was not comfortable, to walk backward, especially going down the marble stairs in front of the CCPD, while dragging a tall, lean but muscular guy alongside her. Thomson and other cops who arrived at the front door raised their guns at her but whoever this guy was, they looked doubtful to take any action in case she would actually hurt him.

Iris knew she would be at the front page of CCPN tomorrow and a part of her felt smug again, she would push it against Scudder’s face, to show him how bad-ass she was to kidnap a person and escape CCPD like it was a walk in the park.

Allen tried to warn her against the potential troubles she would face but she laughed and told him she wouldn’t become a Rogue if she was afraid of the trouble. She could swear he was almost smiling when she pushed him into a car she stole from a poor bystander, as he looked up at her under his lashes and told her,  _ maybe you should quit, you can do better than that _ .

She wasn’t in the mood to get lectured about morals, as she drove away until she was sure no one was following them, she never lowered the gun, she was still pointing it toward him while her other hand was holding the wheel. But she was aware he had no intention to fight back. He leaned his forehead against the cool window with half-closed eyes and lazily watched the road laying in front of them.

“You are not like the other Rogues.” He said out of nowhere. She raised an eyebrow, throwing him a look before turning her eyes back to the road.

“In which way?” His fingers drummed on the front panel mindlessly. 

“You don’t wear ridiculous  costumes; you don’t have a nickname.” His fingers stopped for a moment. “You don’t try to hurt the Flash.”

“Everybody already knows who I am,” she told him without taking her eyes off the road. “No need for silly nicknames. And Flash... is Flash. He’s annoying but this city needs him.”

He hesitated for a moment. 

“They call you Soul Stealer, you know? The newspapers, I mean.” She made a face.

“Nothing that dramatic.” She shrugged. “I just make people faint and have weird dreams, that’s all.” She turned to him for a second, giving him a dazzling smile. “I used to be a  journalist, you know? Never worked out. Eh, maybe in another lifetime.”

“It’s still not too late.” He muttered, looking at the road thoughtfully. “You have so much potential  with a good heart.”

Her fingers tightened around the wheel as she forced a playful smile on her lips, avoiding the pain spreading in her chest. 

“You speak as you know me. But we have never met before.” For a second, Allen smiled playfully, looking at her without turning his head.

“Maybe we did.”

“Hmm, I doubt so. I wouldn’t forget a pretty face like yours.” Iris didn’t need to look at him to know that he was blushing at her open flirting. She grinned. 

Finally, she stopped the car in the middle of an empty road leading to Coast City. She turned her green eyes to the blond sitting next to her with a bored expression. It was almost hilarious how unbothered he looked by getting kidnapped by a Rogue.

“It was nice to meet you, pretty boy.” She gave him a soft smile as her finger trips slowly traced his jawline and Barry’s eyes rolled back, head hitting the headrest as he fell deep into dreamland.

Iris felt bad for leaving him there alone, in a deep sleep, so far away from the city center. Vulnerable and lonely. So here she was, waiting for the cute blond to leave the Police Station so she could apologize.

Len would be right, that was stupid. 

But there was also something else that she avoided even admitting to herself. 

She saw him shortly after, he was wearing a red hoodie and  ordinary black skinny jeans . Iris followed him for a while, making sure there was a safe distance between them and the CCPD before she made any contact with him. However, he was  _ faster _ . 

“Are you following me?” He muttered without turning to her when they both stopped at the pedestrian light. Her eyes widened for a moment before grinning and looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was close enough to them and slightly lifted her cap to give him a better look at her face. 

“Oh, no.” She heard him sigh. She was almost impressed by how quickly he recognized her while he was barely seeing her face under the cap. Well, it must be hard to forget your kidnapper’s face, especially since it’s been only two days.

She grinned at him apologetically. 

“Don’t worry,” she said as they walked across the street, “I don’t have a gun this time.”

“What?” He said without slowing down or taking a look at her. Iris fastened her steps to catch up with the man who had an unfair advantage of tall (and shapely) legs. “You are not in a situation that requires my  assistance to get out?”

Her grin widened and her muscles relaxed when she noticed the soft teasing between his words. So, he wasn’t angry, annoyed or scared of her. 

“Not this time.” She replied playfully. “But the next time I need help, I will let you know.”

“Ugh, I am not exactly the sidekick material.” He said, running a hand through his messy blond hair. He stopped somewhere close to Jitters and turned around to face her. She was almost bumping into him. She looked up at his curious eyes. “So, why are you here?”

A slight smile appeared on her attractive lips as she leaned closer to him. He looked down at her with a worried frown and leaned back slightly. She grinned at his possible worry about getting kidnapped for the second time in 3 days. 

“Would you believe me if I told you I feel terrible about the way I left you the other day? It wasn’t really nice of me.” She muttered between  them, placing her left hand on the man’s chest. “I wanted to apologize.”

He looked down at her with a questioning yet polite smile. She could see a slight blush on his sharp cheekbones. 

“Oh, no, I should be thanking you. I haven’t slept like that in a while. Nice trick.” She let out a loud, cheerful laugh. 

“I am glad to hear that. Well, thanks for the assist anyway.” She dropped her hand and looked up at him under her lashes. “Would it be okay for me to thank you with a cup of coffee?”

His smile dropped all of a sudden, sobering up enough to realize that this attractive woman was a Rogue. She was dangerous and unpredictable according to the papers. He took a step back from her and put a safe distance between them. 

“Look, I don’t know what you are trying to achieve here but I am just a CSI. No one important. There is nothing you can gain from—” She raised an eyebrow at his confusion.  So, he thought she was trying to get a man inside or gain favors from someone working at the CCPD. Well, he was wrong. She had nothing she wanted from Allen the CSI.

“What? A single and beautiful young woman can’t ask a cute man she just met out?”

“Uhm, sure you can but—” She raised her hand to silence him.

“So, is this a yes or no?” She gave him her most charming smile. He looked down at her for a moment, meeting her green eyes with his own deep blue ones. Something in his eyes changed, she was aware. He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed.

“I... I would like to. But I am late to somewhere and—” He opened his eyes to meet hers and she believed him. She believed he wasn’t simply ditching her. That he was telling the truth.

“It’s okay.” She answered softly. “It would be bad for you to be seen with a Rogue anyway.” 

She raised her hands to lower her cap again, covering her face. But Allen’s fingers wrapped around her wrist softly and she raised her head to look at him with surprise clear on her pretty features. He gulped, looking down at her like he was struggling.

“I... My name is Barry Allen. I work at the CCPD as a CSI. That’s all I can give you right now but... I do believe in you, Iris West.” His face hardened with determination and pure passion. It took her breath away. It was a good look on him, it reminded her of the first moment she saw him. The blond man coming to fight a cop to defend her rights. “I think there is good in you.”

He let go of her wrist but they didn’t move. Iris looked down between them for a moment, deep in thought. Then she raised her head and smiled at the blond man.

“This is a promise then, Barry Allen. We will see each other again. And you can try to convince me once again.”

She was 13 when it happened for the first time. Her fingertips softly poking the bare skin of the maid’s wrist, the poor woman let out a soft gasp before she fell onto the floor like a sack of potato. Iris looked down at her with big green eyes for a moment until her father heard the sound and came running to the room. They didn’t understand it back then, thought the woman fainted from something else. It didn’t happen again until her mother, Nadine, fell ill and her father, Ira, started to work more and barely spent any time with her. This time it was Pumpkin, her paroquet that fell to the ground like a deadweight after Iris barely grazing his feathers.

She was slightly older back then; 15. She had a vivid imagination and a keen on reading. She suspected in her imaginative world that she had magic fingertips that would put people to sleep so they wouldn’t suffer from any pain. She sometimes used her ‘magic’ on her ill mother who couldn’t sleep due to the pain.

After her mother died and Iris graduated from high school, she went to Sun City for college and after that, his father allowed her to travel the world for a while. Later, due to some unfortunate events, she found out about her father’s secret: she was adopted. She felt her entire world come crashing down on her, not only because her father kept this secret from her for so long but also because he knew her struggles to understand what was wrong with her. All her life, she tried to understand why she was like this, she spent her college years afraid of getting close to people in case she would hurt someone and they would know she was a  _ freak _ . But her birth mother was a metahuman who passed her talent to Iris. 

She felt both relieved and angry. So angry that she cut her ties with her father and ran away. She eventually ended up with Rogues when she rebelled against her father. And after seeking shelter among the Rogues, for the first time in her life, she felt normal. She felt at home. And she never looked back again.

“Good job, Red.” Iris turned her green eyes at the man sitting next to her with a frown, Scudder raised his beer to his lips, leaving wet marks on the wooden table. “You fucked up your first solo heist, got caught by the Flash, kidnapped someone from CCPD. Not bad for a newbie.”

“Interesting that you still remember what a heist is.” Iris swallowed down her irritation and smiled at him calmly. “Considering how you spend all your time chasing after Lisa these days.”

But Scudder only grinned at her, raising his glass in a mock salute.

“A good thief can do both, darling. I can woo my woman and rob the ICBC.”

“We can all share, darlings.” Lisa placed her hand on the back of  Iris’ chair with a grin on her face that was matching her lover’s. She took the chair next to Sam and placed her hand on  Iris’ with a gentle smile. “Don’t listen to him, though, these guys would get caught the second day if it wasn’t for us.”

“You are lucky, Red, Flash has no time to come after you these days.” Digger placed his feet on the table and leaned against the back of his chair. Lisa looked down at his feet with disgust but didn’t say anything and took a sip from her drink. 

“Why not?” Iris raised an eyebrow at Digger. She was glad to hear that, of course, the last thing she needed was Flash running around Central and Keystone to find her. However, she didn’t remember hearing anything about Flash being busy with the Justice League business. She was sure he was still running around the city this morning.

“Don’t tell anyone, I am not supposed to talk about Squad stuff here but...” Digger leaned closer to her, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. “They say that he’s back.”

“For fuck’s sake, Digger, we can all hear you.” Sam rolled his eyes but Lisa placed her arms on the table and leaned forward with a serious expression.

“Who is back?” Digger looked uncomfortable for a moment before shrugging.

“Reverse Flash.” That was shocking but maybe it shouldn’t be. Iris didn’t know much about the  Reverse, she has never seen him. However, she knew he was the most dangerous inmate in the Heights and she heard there was a time when he was  _ dead _ . That was what made him so scary. Everyone knew he died once but he kept coming back. Interestingly, ordinary people had nothing to worry about because Reverse barely paid any attention to them. Unfortunately, Iris heard from Mick that there was a time Thawne came after them to make them work for him. She felt watched, uncomfortable; it made the hair stand up on the back of her neck.

“It’s none of our business.” Sam said with a serious expression once he noticed  Iris’ discomfort. “It’s the Flash’s problem.”

Digger shrugged and Lisa pushed his feet off the table which started an argument between all three of them and changed the subject but for the rest of the day, Iris couldn’t shake off that terrible feeling wrapping its fingers around her heart like a cold grip.

Digger was right about one thing; they didn’t hear from Reverse Flash, he didn’t show up at the bar and he made no public appearances but Flash was nowhere to be seen and even when Mick caused a little public fear by accidentally setting a bus on fire, he didn’t show up. This was almost worrying, considering how many creeps were ready to crawl out of the shadows to claim their rights on Central City the moment Flash left the city limits. 

“So, I heard from Lenny that you hang out with the CSI boy now.” Lisa buried her hands into the pockets of her jacket, shiny blonde hair falling to her shoulders like liquid gold. Iris groaned at her words.

“Ugh, he acts all tough and manly but he’s just a huge gossip.” Lina grinned at her.  Iris’ fake annoyance dropped and she looked at Lisa with  curiosity clear in her green eyes. “How do you know him though?” 

“We all do.” Lisa shrugged. “From the Heights. Strange guy.” 

“He was there when you were arrested?” She frowned at this unexpected coincidence. 

“Which time?” Lisa laughed cheerfully. She seemed so unbothered by the fact that they all got arrested at least twice by the Flash so far. “As far as I know, he worked there for a couple of months. I was barely there, so I can’t tell you exactly when. You should ask Sam about him. But yes, he was there for a while. God knows why.” She looked at Iris with a mischievous smile, leaning against her as they walked across the street. “Nice, but as I said, strange. Though, he was the likable one for sure. His partner, the woman, was annoying as fuck.” 

“She was hot!” They heard Digger yelling after them while Sam was trying to talk to him about something with an annoyed expression. Lisa turned around to give him middle finger.

“Shut up, Digger!” Sam frowned at the Australian man as they caught up with the girls and turned to Iris.

“Len was interested in that guy for a while. I don’t know if he still is but... he would be useful to us, he said.” Iris tried to school her expression and fastened her steps to avoid Sam’s analyzing looks. She felt the same cold grip around her heart that had nothing to do with the wind. 

“Len wants to target Barry?”

“Yeah!” Digger grinned. “That was his name!”

All three of them ignored the Australian who had way too many beers in the past 3 hours. Sam gave Iris a funny look before answering her question.

“Not really. But Len is very suspicious of him. He believes that the kid has connections to the Flash. Something that we could use back then.” He placed a warm hand on  Iris’ shoulder. “Regardless, he is bad news for us.”

Iris only nodded and avoided the rest of the conversation that was going on between Sam and Digger. 

If she said she watched him sometimes, going to work or taking coffee breaks at Jitters, it wasn’t because she was a creep. It has been a quiet week so far, almost two, and a part of Iris couldn’t shake off Sam’s warning. Iris felt stuck between being worried about Barry due to his possible connection to the Flash and being wary of him due to the same reason. And then she wondered. What was Barry doing all day? He seemed like a nice guy and even Lisa confirmed this, though, she also called him strange. But Iris wanted to know more about him before she made another move. 

So, she harmlessly watched him from afar. Sometimes she saw him with other people. Could one of those ‘friends’ be the Flash? She also noticed how drained, tired and depressed he started to look toward the end of the week. Then she saw him with the blonde girl; she was around the same age as them and had short blonde hair with pretty blue eyes that were hiding behind glasses. She was small, had an adorable face and Barry looked more relaxed around her. She wrapped her arm around his as they walked toward the Jitters for lunch break sometimes. She could see they shared a bond, that this woman knew him. Truly knew him. She looked at him with shiny eyes, clearly adoring the man sitting in front of her. 

She stopped watching him after that. 

“Now, this is just creepy.” Barry dropped his keys on the table next to him and closed the door behind him. He walked into the room without turning on the lights but moonlight coming through the glass doors of his  french balcony was enough to see the woman standing in front of the open curtains. She didn’t turn around but she looked at him over her shoulder with a slight smile on her lips. “How did you get in here?”

He walked forward until he was standing next to her. He looked down at the street below before tightly closing his curtains. Iris backed away and grinned at his paranoia, though, she admitted it was wise to not want to be seen with a Rogue. That adorable old lady living next door would have a heart attack if she knew who Iris was. 

“Please.” She leaned against the back of his couch with a confident look. “I go toe to toe with the Flash.” He looked at her over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow. She rolled her eyes. “Okay, I  _ and the Rogues _ go toe to toe with the Flash.” She placed her hands on the couch and pushed herself forward, taking a step toward him. “But above all, I am a very skilled woman.”

“That, I don’t doubt.” He turned his back to her and walked to the kitchen. “Since you already break into my house, would you like some tea?”

“Break in is a bit... aggressive, don’t you think?” She said playfully and followed him to the kitchen. “I thought it would be better than showing up at your workplace.” 

Barry’s eyes widened with horror.

“Oh, wow. Yeah, I am glad you chose to break into my house then.” She laughed softly and sat down on one of the chairs. His house was... nice. It was clean and tidy however it felt like Barry barely spent any time here. It felt lonely and empty. While waiting for him to come home, she took a look at the framed photos. There were two older men with one blonde woman who reminded her of Barry and two group photos with his friends. But he often looked so lonely. Iris felt a connection there. Between them. She knew all about feeling lonely. 

He placed a hot cup of tea in front of her. She smiled at him gratefully while he went back to the counter to prepare some snacks. 

“You look tired.” She muttered softly before taking a sip from her tea. It was warm and comforting. “I am sorry for coming unannounced.” 

Barry’s hand stilled, he looked at her over his shoulder. His dazzling blue eyes meeting  Iris’ forest green ones. This was the first time he looked so open, so  _ real _ . Iris gulped, hands tightening around her cup. He wasn’t forcing a polite smile; he wasn’t joking around. He was looking at her with a serious expression that was holding so many answers to her unasked questions. 

He shook his head, breaking the eye contact, thus, the moment and turning back to the plate in front of him.

“Yeah, sorry... I... it’s just been a really long and hard week for me.” She could see his tense shoulders under the poor kitchen light. She felt a sudden desire to reach forward and touch him. To comfort him. He looked so tired, so worn out like he was carrying the weight of the world alone. “But it’s okay. I am actually glad to see you.” He turned around and placed the plate in the middle of the tiny kitchen table before taking his own cup and sitting on the other chair. “I... I didn’t want to be alone. Not now. Not with my thoughts running wild. I just—”

“I am glad I came.” She placed her warm hand on Barry’s on the table. He looked down at their hands for a moment with an unreadable expression. When he raised his head to look at her, he was smiling.

“Thank you.” And she felt his sincerity. She smiled back.

“I hope it gets better for you soon.” He sighed softly when she pulled her hand back.

“Sometimes it feels like it will never get better.”  Iris’ face softened. She wasn’t expecting him to be so open with her but he looked like he needed this. To open up to someone. “A lot of things going on in my life right now. At work and... other stuff. And it’s that time of the year again.”

“What time?” She asked before she could stop herself. He looked at her like he forgot she was there for a moment. He sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. 

“My mother... she died when I was 11. Murdered. I found the body. My father was arrested for her murder and... yeah.” He shrugged, fingers tightening around his cup as he looked down at the table intensely. “Darryl took me in and I am grateful but... sometimes it feels like I am all alone. Especially during this time of the year; anniversary of her death.” She could see how much pain it caused him. He shook his head and forced a smile. “Darryl is the Captain, that’s why they call me the Golden Boy.”

She smiled softly, fingers tracing meaningless figures on the wooden table. 

“My mother died, too.” She muttered. Barry’s face softened as he listened to her. “Though she died from natural causes and it’s nothing compared to what you have been through.”

It was Barry’s turn to reach forward and place his hand on hers. 

“I am sorry to hear that.” She looked down at his much bigger hand on her tiny one. So strong, so warm against her skin. She wanted to turn her hand and wrap her fingers around his. “Iris.” He whispered softly. She looked up at him again to meet his eyes. “If you don’t mind me asking... why are you here?”

He has been open and honest with her so far. And she felt warm and strangely comfortable around him. Right here, right now. It was only fair to be honest with him.

“When I kidnapped you,” she almost laughed at his expression when she muttered these words, “you stood up for me. You knew who I was. And then you never looked at me the way they do.” She shrugged, suddenly feeling vulnerable under his intense gaze. “All this time, I have been running away. From my problems, from my father... I made myself believe his expectations meant nothing to me and at first it was a liberating thought. But then... then I had nothing to hold onto. It’s so easy to free fall once you let go.” She placed her other hand on Barry’s hand that was already laying on her hand. “You believe in me. You were nice to me. And for a moment... when I am with you, I feel like myself again. That old Iris.”

She cleared her throat, fighting the heaviness of her ‘confession’. It’s been a while since she’s been open like this with someone. She forced a playful smile and looked at him under her lashes.

“Also, you are cute.” She didn’t realize they were both leaning forward until Barry groaned and pulled back.

“Oh, god.” Iris grinned at his  reaction; she could see his cheeks coloring slightly under the soft light.

“You are not good with compliments, huh?” She tilted her head to the left, eyes shining  mischievously . “But you are.” 

“What?” He leaned forward  again, Iris’s fingers tightened around his hand.

“Cute.” They didn’t say anything for a moment, both looking into each other’s eyes intensely. She asked without breaking the eye contact. “Is the blonde girlfriend?”

He blinked a couple of times confusedly. He was completely under Iris West’s spell. 

“Huh?” She smiled as she muttered the name that she learned a couple of days ago.

“Patty.” Barry frowned slightly.

“I don’t know how you know Patty’s name but... no. She is not.” She leaned even closer, looking down at his lips.

“Good.” She muttered before pressing her lips against his. He was still for a moment but his lips were warm and soft under  Iris’ and she felt like their meeting and that damn heist... everything was leading up to this moment. She felt him pulling his hand from between hers and before she could misunderstand, his fingers wrapped around the nape of her neck softly and pulled her even closer. She opened her lips against his.

“This is a terrible idea.” He breathed out between their lips,  Iris’ lips chasing his lower lip.

“A very, very good bad idea.” She agreed and reached forward to wrap her fingers around the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer.

3 hours later, soft feet barely made any sound against the hardwood as she tiptoed to the kitchen without turning on the lights. She suppressed a yawn and a strong desire to go back to bed and curl around Barry’s warm body. She opened the fridge instead, to get a cold glass of water. She sat on the chair she was sitting a couple of hours ago. She smiled softly, Barry’s shirt was soft and comfortable against her skin. She was about to finish the glass and go back to bed when she noticed the files placed under an empty and old flowerpot. She frowned softly. 

It wasn’t her place to take a look at them. It was probably related to his job after all. She really didn’t want to spoil her night by looking at detailed murder scene photos. But it was such a strange place to hide them. 

Guilt wrapped around her like a blanket but her strong curiosity was one of the reasons why she always wanted to pursue a journalism career after all. She lifted the empty pot and brought the files to the table. Her eyes were adjusted to the darkness of the night but even with the moonlight coming through the window, she had to squint her eyes to read a few lines. 

Those were... experiments. 

It wasn’t surprising. Iris already figured out Barry was a scientist and he was absolutely a nerd from what she understood from his interactions with Patty last week. But even with her little knowledge, she could understand those equations and notes were different. He also had notes about some people called Hal, Diana, Clark and Bruce but she had no idea who those people were. She skipped some pages until two words caught her eyes.

_ Speed Force. _

Iris closed the file quickly, pressing a hand against her mouth to stop herself from letting out a small scream. Her eyes widened. They were right about Barry after all. He was working for the Flash! It made so much sense. Flash would need a scientist he could trust and Barry was the perfect candidate for the job with his goodness and his desire to help people.

Iris pressed her fist against her lips and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath before standing up and placing the files under the flowerpot again. It wasn’t her business. She didn’t come here tonight to investigate. Barry didn’t ask or question what she was doing with the Rogues so Iris had no place to judge him. And honestly, she didn’t care. She liked Barry. A lot. She didn’t hate the Flash like Scudder or Mardon did. 

A part of her was breaking at the thought of Barry getting hurt for simply helping the Flash. Iris thought the best way to protect him was to pretend like she never saw those files. 

For the rest of the night, she laid awake on the bed, wrapping her arms tightly around the man who was sleeping next to her. 

Things were nice with Barry. When she woke up on his bed, he already left for work but he was sweet enough to leave a note and breakfast for her. Iris spent the next two days with a stupid smile on her face that arose a lot of questions from the Rogues but she successfully dodged all of them so far. Unfortunately, Iris didn’t have time to see Barry again for the rest of the week. They both were extremely busy, though, Iris didn’t want to mention  _ why _ she was busy in the first place. She was probably in love with the guy but she wasn’t blinded enough to tell a CSI about a heist the Rogues were planning. 

Things only got worse on a Friday evening. Sun was setting, the weather was pleasant and Sam and Mick were arguing about the Mirror Dimension when Iris  _ felt _ it. It only lasted a second, she didn’t have time to doubt or question it. Suddenly all their papers were flying around, Iris felt the wind on her face and lightning crackled around them with a burst of sinister laughter.

“Oh shit.” Digger groaned. 

And that was the first time Iris West saw the Reverse Flash. He was wearing yellow, with dark red eyes, a sinister smirk. He was tall and muscular. He didn’t look real. Iris understood everything that was written about him; he was terrifying. Iris heard people comparing him to the Flash due to their powers but he was nothing like the Flash. Scarlet Speedster was all warmth and smiles. Even when he was arresting you, you strangely felt safe. He never filled Iris with dread or fear. The greatness of his powers never scared her. Now she understood it was because of the man wielding them. The same powers turned into a terrifying nightmare in Thawne’s hands. 

“Thawne.” Iris couldn’t take her eyes off the man standing in front of their table but she could feel Len standing behind her with his cold gun pointing at the Reverse. “What are you doing here?”

“ Snart .” His voice sent chills down her spine. “It’s been a while.”

“I would like to keep it that way.” Iris has never heard Len sound like this. Not even when they were facing the Flash. Worry fastened her heartbeats, going up against the Flash was one thing when they knew he would never hurt them. But picking a fight with the Reverse Flash... Iris was dying to turn around and look at Len but she couldn’t dare to move. 

“You should be nicer to me,  Snart .” Thawne laughed. “Soon, Flash will be gone and Central City will be under my control. You and your misfits will be working for me then. It’s your _ future _ .”

“You are not a fortuneteller.” Len hissed between his teeth. “I work  _ for  _ no one.” 

“You are not wanted here, Thawne.” Sam added coldly. Iris was impressed by his fearlessness in the face of Reverse Flash. “Better leave now.”

Thawne eyed him for a moment, Iris worried he would actually hurt Sam before she could do anything. Her power was useless against Thawne, he could dodge her touch several times before she could even blink. She has never felt this helpless before. 

But then Thawne smirked. 

“Well then. I have no time to waste with you petty thieves. I just came here to let you know that you have 5 days.” He glared at  Snart . “You know what I mean.” Then he turned his eyes to a table that was closer to the wall. The man looked like he was about to piss his pants. “Be kind enough to let the entire city know I was here, alright?” The man nodded dumbly, hands mindlessly reaching for his phone to probably open the Twitter. “Let them know what's coming for them.”

Then he disappeared, leaving a trail of lightning behind.

Len lowered his gun with a loud sigh and dropped onto his chair. Lisa placed her hand on her brother’s shoulder. Iris wanted to ask what Thawne meant but Len looked tired and drained. And Lisa threw all of them a hard look meaning none of them were allowed to mess with her brother.

“Fuck.” Digger muttered. “We are  _ so _ fucked.”

They canceled all their plans afterward. Iris didn’t know what to do. She only knew that she didn’t want to be alone. That’s how she found herself sitting on Barry’s couch in the darkness, eyes focused on that one spot on the floor. It took Barry another hour to show up which wasn’t really surprising because he was a workaholic. But he looked worse than the last time. The moment she lifted her head and they came face to face, both of them froze. Iris stood up and was about to mutter a stupid apology for showing up unannounced like she didn’t break into his house before. But Barry appeared in front of her suddenly, hands cupping her face. She only had a second to recognize the wide eyes and scared expression on his face before he pressed his lips against hers. 

Even when they spent the night together, Iris never felt Barry being this needy. He kissed her hungrily like she could disappear at any moment. She could feel the coldness of his fingers against the delicate skin of her cheeks. She kissed back with the same passion. Her hands found his hair, gripping blond strands. 

“Barry.” She gasped against his lips. 

“Iris.” He whispered back, forcing himself to pull back and pressing his forehead against hers. “Are you alright?”

She opened her eyes to finally look at him. His eyes were still closed like he was waiting for her answer first. 

“Yes.” She whispered softly, fingers massaging the back of his neck. “Are you?”

“Yes. Of course.” He muttered before opening his eyes. He looked so vulnerable here, in the darkness, forehead pressed against her. 

“What do I owe this welcome to?” She grinned softly. But he didn’t answer back as usual. He didn’t smile. His eyes were tracing every part of her face like he wanted to make sure she was okay. His fingers caressed her cheeks. 

“I heard what happened.” She frowned slightly. “With Reverse Flash.”  _ Oh _ . 

“News travels fast.” She muttered softly as she pulled back from him. 

“Everyone is talking about it. The station is on full alert. People are worried about another war.” He sat next to her on the couch, fingers catching Iris’s hand and caressing her knuckles. “I... I was so worried about you.” Iris was surprised by the pain evident on his face and his sudden confession. “I know what he can do. How much he can hurt someone.”

She turned to the left to face him, lifting her legs and placing them on his laps to get closer to him as she wrapped her arms around his shoulder.

“I am alright, Barry. He didn’t hurt anyone. It was only a warning.”

Barry closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around Iris and pulling her closer to his body.

“I am afraid.” He admitted after cuddling like that for a while. “I am afraid I will not be able to protect you and everyone else I love.”

_ Love _ .

Iris’ arms tightened around Barry’s shoulders, she placed soft kisses on his neck.

“It’s okay, Barry. We will be okay. You are not alone.” Her fingers softly caressed his hair. “You don’t have to protect us.”

“Stay with me.” He whispered, burying his face in her auburn hair.

“Of course.”

Things strangely went back to normal for a while after that. Iris started to spend more time in Barry’s house. A part of her was scared, that Thawne would target Barry if he ever found out about his connection to the Flash. She was always looking forward to going back to his home so that she could make sure he was okay. That he was still there and alive. 

But Thawne didn’t show up again. 5 days passed in agony, Iris could barely sleep, even in Barry’s arms. But in the end, he didn’t come back and Iris was too afraid to ask Len what the Reverse meant. Len barely came to the bar anyway.

It was all strange and only made Iris more nervous. 

Of course, things only got worse after that. 

Someone blew up the CCPD building. Well, tried to. From three explosives, only one of them went off. But it was enough to send the city into chaos. Iris was at the bar when it happened. She was sitting next to Digger and her thoughts were, as of lately, surrounded by Barry and Thawne and Len. What was Len hiding from them? Was Flash still contacting Barry? Did Flash know Reverse was after the Rogues? 

“Holy fuck.” Someone cursed. Iris followed their eyes and looked at the tiny tv from the early 2000s on the counter. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Linda Park live broadcasting in front of the CCPD building which was on fire. “Someone blew up the CCPD.”

“Thawne.” Len hissed between his teeth. He was standing behind  Iris’ chair with Lisa right next to him. They were both watching the tv with anger shadowing their features.  Iris’ eyes widened. The connection. It was there. The beer bottle slipped between her shaky fingers. She stood up quickly. “Iris?”

She avoided Len’s questioning look, she avoided Lisa’s hand stretching toward her. She ran to the door. All of her thoughts were focused on one thing: Barry.

He was there. He could be dead. He could be injured. And maybe even worse for him, he could be captured by the Reverse. That was her biggest fear since she found that file on his counter, hidden under an old flowerpot. Thawne finding out about his connection to the Flash and using him against the Scarlet Speedster. 

She couldn’t let that happen. But she needed help.

It was around 5 p.m. when Scarlet Speedster appeared in the middle of the room where Iris West was calmly sitting on an uncomfortable-looking plastic chair. It was his first appearance since someone blew up the CCPD building 3 hours ago. If Iris was on her right mind, she would pity the man. He was probably going through a really hard time right now. Not only that Reverse Flash was running around the city, but someone (Iris was sure it was Thawne) also blew up the CCPD building and the entire city was having a breakdown. Some idiots were taking advantage of and looting shops. If the situation was different, she would feel bad for causing him more trouble. But she had to be selfish this time.

This place was supposed to be a hairdresser, maybe it was before everything went down. Iris wasn’t picky. She entered the first shop she found on her way, raising a stolen gun at the people with shaky hands. Deep down she knew she had to be pretty lucky for Flash to show up to a small ‘crime scene’ like this considering what was going through in the city. But for the first time in her life, she was lucky  because Scarlet Speedster was standing in front of her. 

“What are you doing?!” Flash hissed between his teeth. He was different, too. His body was buzzing with power, he looked restless and anxious. He was more affected than Iris was expecting. Flash was usually a chill guy, he worked well under stress. Iris couldn’t remember a time when she saw Flash losing control. “This is NOT the time to play games!”

Iris stood up, looking down at the mannequins who were supposed to be her hostages. 

“I know.” She mumbled lifelessly. “I was just trying to get your attention.”

Flash pressed his fingers against his tightly closed eyes and groaned.

“Miss West, please, I don’t have time for  th —”

“Help me.” She choked out. Flash’s eyes widened from the sudden plea. He opened his mouth with questions but Iris took a step forward, eyes filling with unshed tears. “Help, please.”

“I don’t understand.” Flash  stuttered .

“He got my friend. Please. You have to  help me.”

“I would like to help you, even though I am REALLY busy right now. But, honestly, I don’t understand.” She groaned angrily, running a hand through her messy auburn hair.

“Ugh! You owe this to him!” She raised her hand, pointing the gun at his chest even though she knew he could dodge it easily. “It’s all your fault!”

“You make no sense.” 

“I know you work with Barry Allen, you asshole.” She hissed between her teeth. Flash’s eyes widened as he raised his hands defensively. “Thawne kidnapped him to get to you. He is in this mess because of you,” she took a step forward, her grip tightening around the gun, “and if anything happens to him because of you, I swear—”

“Excuse me?!”

“Barry is missing since the CCPD building blew up.” She whimpered, biting her lower lip. Worry was eating her alive. She knew how cruel Thawne could be to his victims, she heard stories about him. “No one knows where he is. And I know your connection to him. It only makes sense that Thawne kidnapped him to get to you. I... I need you to help me to save him.”

Flash looked vulnerable for a moment, face softening in a way that she’s never seen before. He dropped his hands with a sigh and closed his eyes. Whatever he muttered between  breaths, she couldn’t hear. But he raised his head again and looked into her eyes with a newfound determination.

“Okay.” He placed his hand on Iris. “I will help you.”

**Author's Note:**

> I am lanthimo on tumblr, thanks for reading
> 
> some notes;  
>  Pre-FP Iris basically set her eyes on Barry in the court one day and asked him out right away. Honestly, queen. She is the one always pursuing Barry in comics so it’s the same here but honestly I just wanted flirty Iris because I find Iris who knows what or who she wants and pursuing it without hiding her feelings so damn attractive lol  
> Pre-FP Iris’ family history is basically the same here, except she’s not from the future. Just.. no.   
> Station scene inspired by a comic panel where Barry was arguing with two cops for manhandling a suspect. Also, we saw several times how cops don’t like Barry and honestly, I have no time to sympathize with those pigs   
> Also the last scene is once again inspired by comics  
> Even though I didn't mention it here, Patty was the first one to know Barry's secret in N52 and it's the same here. She helps him sometimes.


End file.
